Chelsea School Committee Member Roberto Jiménez-Rivera announces bid for State Rep.

  Chelsea School Committee Member Roberto Jiménez-Rivera recently announced that he will be running for the newly-created 11th Suffolk District in the Massachusetts House of Representatives.

  “I am running because the people of Chelsea and Everett deserve a State Rep. who will lift our voices in Beacon Hill and who won’t settle for small fixes to the urgent issues we face. We have been waiting for someone who will center justice and equity both in their organizing and legislating,” said Jiménez-Rivera. “That is what I have done on the Chelsea School Committee and as an organizer for the Boston Teachers Union and it’s what I will continue to do in the State House.”

  The 11th Suffolk was created during the redistricting process and includes all of Chelsea and part of Everett. As a newly-created district, there is no incumbent in this seat. Jiménez-Rivera lives in Chelsea with his wife Sarah and their 18-month-old son Robi. He has been the at-large member of the Chelsea School Committee since 2019 and works as an organizer for the Boston Teachers Union. From the beginning of his career, he demonstrated a deep passion for and commitment to education, justice and equity. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Jiménez-Rivera organized letters from more than 125 education leaders across every Gateway City in Massachusetts, calling on the Legislature to fully fund the promise of the Student Opportunity Act after the State House was hesitant due to fiscal uncertainty from the pandemic. He has led that work in Chelsea as well as with coalitions, especially the Massachusetts Education Justice Alliance, to ensure the children of Massachusetts have the funding they have been promised by law.

  In addition to education, Jiménez-Rivera has been a strong voice for workers’ rights, immigrant rights and fighting for a more affordable Chelsea.

  “The COVID-19 pandemic only further highlighted the inequities that exist in our society today, and we need bold advocacy and organizing to repair the harm that Chelsea and Everett go through every day,” he said. “Our people deserve to stay in their homes and to have access to affordable healthcare and child care. I have seen these issues directly impact me and my family. I will continue to partner with other district leaders as we organize around issues like environmental justice, housing justice, and immigrant justice. Together, we will win the change that our communities deserve.”